VIDEO: Hillsborough inquests ‘virtual stadium tour’

A “virtual tour” of how Hillsborough stadium looked at the time of the tragedy in 1989 has been shown tothe inquests jury, writes Graham Walker.

The 10-minute video includes real video footage, photos and exact 3D images created using laser technology.

Hillsborough stadium

VIDEO: Press the play button to watch the silent ‘virtual tour’ video that was shown to the jury.

After emotional pen portraits of those that died in the tragedy, proceedings have now moved to the stadium and the matchday operation.

A wide range of images of inside and outside the Hillsborough ground were also shown on day 15 of the hearings.

Since 1989 alterations have been made to the ground so the old pictures and video presentation is regarded as hugely important for the jury to get an exact idea of how the venue looked.

The Hillsborough inquests 3D 'virtual stadium tour' includes this view of how the police control box looked in 1989.

A lot of the footage focused on the Leppings Lane end, especially the turnstiles used by Liverpool fans and Gate C.

Images of crush barriers on the stand, including Barrier 124A, which collapsed on the day, were also shown to the jury.

The evidence also looked at pitch perimeter fences, added to the West Stand in 1970s, and the tunnel leading through to the stands.

A “blend” technique was also featured, to highlight the stadium’s alterations to the present day.

It comes ahead ofr the jury’s visit to Hillsborough later this week.

Operation Resolve head DS Malkin, praising modern technology for its role in the investigation, said: “It has been extremely beneficial to work with many of the deceased persons’ families to be able to help and assist them to understand what happened to their loved ones.”